While on display on a flagpole, shifting or brisk breezes frequently cause flags to become wrapped around the flagpole. When this occurs, if the flag is to be properly displayed, it must be unwrapped manually. In such conditions, a flag must be untangled frequently and it can become a tedious and burdensome task.
Also, in many circumstances, flags are mounted on vertical or nearly vertical flagpoles. In such a configuration, a flag will be oriented for its best display only in the presence of a relatively brisk breeze, one that serves to fully extend the flag. In the absence of such a breeze, the flag will hang limp against the pole and consequently will not be presented for most favorable viewing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,962 discloses rotatable clips that mount in circumferential grooves on the flagpole and are intended to prevent the flag from becoming fouled around the flagpole by allowing the flag to rotate freely around the pole. These clips have a tendency to bind or catch so as not to rotate freely about the flagpole and thus fail to prevent the flag from becoming furled about the pole. Additionally, the flag may sometimes wrap around the pole in moderate wind conditions which lacks the force to cause the clips to rotate about the pole and thus prevents the flag from being wrapped thereabout. Moreover, such rotatable clips include no provision for holding the flag in its extended position on days of insufficient wind.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,733 discloses clips similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,962 as discused above, except that the clips do not rotate in circumferential grooves in the flagpole, but instead are used in conjunction with a tapered flagpole having a lower diameter greater than that of an upper diameter. These clips have the same disadvantages as those disclosed in the '962 Patent with the additional disadvantage of being less able to rotate freely about the flagpole.
It is an object of this invention to provide a light-weight, inexpensive and effective apparatus or device which prevents a flag from becoming tangled or furled around a flagpole on which it is being displayed.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight, inexpensive and highly effective device which holds a flag in its substantially extended condition for most favorable display of the flag on a flagpole even in situations of little or no wind.
According to this invention, a pivotable arm is adapted to be fitted onto a flagpole near the top thereof and which extends radially from the longitudinal axis of the flagpole and includes a fastener engageable with an upper edge portion of a flag to retain the same in generally perpendicular orientation to the pole.
The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will be more readily apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the following drawing.